In September 2020, AEP welcomed more than 600 participants to the Virtual Gathering.

THIS PAGE INCLUDES ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES FROM THIS ONLINE EVENT.

All Session Resources

Invisible
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9

Looking Back and Looking Forward: 25 Years of AEP
Video Recording
25 Years of AEP

Take a trip down memory lane in this long conversation in recognition of AEP’s 25th Anniversary. This session will feature speakers who paved the way for AEP alongside individuals who are blazing a trail for the next 25 years of arts education. Tune in to hear what they have to say about the biggest successes of the last 25 years, the opportunities missed along the way and their ideas and plans for creating a more equitable and inclusive field moving forward. This session will begin with remarks by Mary Anne Carter, Chairwoman of the National Endowment of the Arts, and Christopher Rinkus, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Speakers
Dana Carr, Executive Director, Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center, Inc.; Chiquita Mullins Lee, Arts Learning Coordinator, Ohio Arts Council; Doug Herbert, Former federal administrator, Retired; Terry Peterson, Senior Education Advisor, CS Mott Foundation; Scott Shanklin-Peterson, Chair, Engaging Creative Minds (ECM); Tia Thomas, Student, Towson University; Dick Deasy, Retired Director, Arts Education Partnership; Jamie Kasper, Director, Arts Education Partnership


Are We Reaching the Promise of Title IV-A?
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

For the past two school years, the NAMM Foundation — in partnership with the National Association for Music Education, and with an expanded partnership this year that includes the Educational Theatre Association and National Dance Education Organization — reached out to educators across the nation to see how Title IV-A ESSA funds are supporting education in the arts. Join the study partners as we unveil what we have learned, what arts educators know about Title IV-A and what more needs to be done to help ensure these federal funds support better access to a well-rounded education. Session participants will be able to dive into arts education programs supported by Title IV-A funding and practice requesting such funds for their own schools and communities.

Speakers
Mary Luehrsen, Executive Director, NAMM Foundation; James Palmarini, Director of Educational Policy, Educational Theatre Association; Lynn Tuttle, Director of Public Policy, Research and Professional Development, National Association for Music Education

Additional Resources:


Guiding Principles in Co-Designing Arts Spaces With Youth Leaders
Video Recording

Facilitated by youth leaders of the National Youth Network (NYN) as part of the Creative Youth Development movement, participants at this session will engage in a visual showcase, an interactive self-assessment tool and guiding principles to co-design spaces with youth leaders. Centering Paulo Friere’s educational philosophy that “there is no student who learns and teacher who educates, but a shared power relationship where both who are taught also teach,” presenters will share a self-reflective practice through a NYN-created self-assessment tool. This tool offers educators, practitioners and administrators support in developing a co-design process with youth. Participants will also receive key principles in co-designing shared youth and adult leadership spaces in and outside the classroom.

Speakers
Paula Alvarado Ortega, CYD National Youth Coordinator, Creative Youth Development National Partnership; Ashley Hare, Director of Leadership Development, National Guild for Community Arts Education; Micaela “Micky” Johnson, National Young Artists Summit Coordinator, Creative Youth Development National Partnership


ESSA Arts Indicator – A Case Study in Systems Change
Video Recording
PPT Presentation

Can systems change really happen? What key strategies and messaging can bring it about? The Illinois ESSA arts indicator process provides a specific case study in how strategic advocacy can bring about meaningful change to advance arts education. Come to learn strategies you can apply to your own policy advocacy efforts!

Speakers
Karla Estela Rivera, Executive Director, Free Street Theater; Jason Helfer, Deputy Office for Instructional Education, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE); Jonathan VanderBrug, Deputy Director-Civic Engagement, Arts Alliance Illinois

 

FRIDAY. SEPT. 11

Virtually Free: The Arts and Juvenile Justice
Video Recording
Performing Statistics: Three Years at the Intersection of Arts & Activism

On a given day, more than 43,000 youth are held in residential placement facilities because of involvement with the juvenile justice system. Shine Global’s film “Virtually Free” follows teens detained in a Richmond detention center as they write and record poetry, collage, take photographs, silk screen and use spray paint to become activists in their communities. Join this conversation between the film’s producer, director and teaching artists to learn more about how this film can be used to inspire juvenile justice reform.

Speakers
A. Hasan Davis, Principle/Founder, Hasan Davis Solutions LLC; Gina Lyles, Engagement Director, Performing Statistics; Susan MacLaury, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Shine Global, Inc.; Andre Lee, Director and Producer, Many Things Management


Media Arts Education in K-12 Schools
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

Media arts is the newest addition to the visual and performing arts, and it is time meet this new kid on the block! Led by the ArtsMatter team from LA Promise Fund, this session will explore the field of media arts education and will present findings from various school-based programs implemented within Los Angeles classrooms. An overview of the latest data and research from the field will be complemented by on-the-ground implementation strategies from educators engaging in this work. Participants will leave with ample resources and promising practices for facilitating standards-based media arts education that can be implemented at any school site, regardless of fiscal constraints or access to technology.

Speakers
Malaika Boyer, Educator, ArtsMatter; Alex Karas, Director of Arts Programs, LA Promise Fund; Kamella Tate, Lead Evaluator, LA Promise Fund (LAPF)


Can Hip Hop Save Us?
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

The U.S. public education system is not providing a high-quality, equitable education for young people in our country. The opportunity gap among black and white students has remained unchanged for the past 50 years, and the U.S. currently ranks #36 in the world for education. So how do we successfully engage and inform young minds, preparing them for an uncertain world? Hip hop. Join this session to learn more about this approach to culturally responsive arts education.

Speakers
Heleya de Barros, Director of Arts Education, Arts Corps; Olisa Enrico, Out of School time Program Manager, Arts Corps; James Miles, Executive Director, Arts Corps


Beyond Answers in Watertight Containers: CLD Standards in Art Education
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

Explore learning curves, best practices and the benefits of artmaking as new Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) education standards are specifically implemented in an art teacher preparation program. Learn ways to translate the elements and qualities of cognition found in artmaking into language used in standards and evaluation that can show equitable qualities found in arts education along with the value of artistic expression for students and teachers.

Speaker
Donna Goodwin, Assistant Professor of Art Education, University of Northern Colorado

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15

Keynote & Conversation With Paul Siefken
Video Recording

Join Paul Siefken for a keynote and conversation on the role of public television in ensuring that students have access to high-quality arts and media programming during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
As President and CEO, Paul Siefken ensures that Fred Rogers Productions presents the very best in educational children’s media on broadcast and digital platforms and beyond. Siefken most recently served as Vice President of Broadcast and Digital Media, steering the broadcast content and managing the digital production pipelines for “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Peg + Cat” and “Odd Squad,” working with respective production partners for each. He also spearheaded initiatives that have taken all three into communities around the country, working with public television stations, museums, science centers, libraries, volunteer organizations and early childhood groups to provide meaningful content that supports the aims and priorities of the respective institutions.

Speaker
Paul Siefken, President & CEO, Fred Rogers Productions


Autism & Drama: Lessons from Integrated Residencies Celebrating Neurodiversity
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

In this session, StageWrite presents our ADAPTS (Autism & Drama with Artists, Parents, Teachers & Students) program, which uses theatre to connect artists with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their typically developing peer partners in shared creative experiences with the goal of fostering inclusivity and celebrating neurodiversity. We will explore how integrated drama residencies support the social-emotional development of children with ASD and their typically developing peers. We will discuss how integrated drama experiences empower neurotypical students to be advocates for their classmates with ASD and the ways this method of school-wide change can ensure equitable access to the arts for students with disabilities and create a positive impact on the entire community.

Speakers
Lauren Kivowitz, Teaching Artist, StageWrite; Elana Lagerquist, Executive Director, StageWrite: Building Literacy through Theatre; David Neufeld, Inclusion Coach and Consultant, StageWrite


The Role of the Arts in Reopening Schools: A Group Discussion
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

This session will be a facilitated conversation on the strategies different communities are taking to maximize the role of the arts as we reopen schools. The goal of our time together is to share and listen so that we can each become stronger actors in our own communities. We will focus our time on developing answers to the following questions: 1) What are the issues that teachers, schools and systems are going to be facing with school reopenings? 2) In what ways, if any, can the arts address each of those concerns? and 3) What actions do arts education educators, leaders and administrators need to take in order to ensure that our communities are maximizing the positive benefits of the arts and creative teaching in these circumstances?

Speakers
Brent Hasty; Executive Director, MINDPOP; Jackson Knowles, Program Director, MINDPOP; Deborah Lugo, Executive Director, Arts Connect Houston


An Art Therapist’s Tips to Support Students Through COVID-19 Collective Trauma
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

Research in the value of a STEAM education and the significance of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have increased in recent years. In the face of the collective trauma related to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools will have to pivot quickly to ensure all personnel follow trauma-informed approaches. Utilizing SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach, a licensed art therapist will lead a discussion on the critical role of arts education in supporting students’ emotional health. Presenters will guide attendees through a brief drawing activity focused on feelings of isolation to inform a robust discussion on how arts educators can help students address this collective trauma.

Speakers
Margaret Carlock-Russo, President, The American Art Therapy Association (AATA); Clara Keane Manager, Advocacy and Public Affairs, American Art Therapy Association

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17

Janel George Keynote & Conversation
Video Recording
PPT Presentation

Join Janel George for a keynote and conversation on education as a civil right, and hear examples of anti-racist actions and policy changes— or those that are needed—to achieve a more equitable education system. As Senior Policy Advisor, Janel George co-leads the Equitable Resources and Access team at the Learning Policy Institute. Her work focuses on community schools, racial equity, education as a civil right, integration and resegregation of public schools, and other issues that shape equity and access in K-12 public schools. She is the lead author of The Federal Role and School Integration: Brown’s Promise and Present Challenges with Linda Darling-Hammond. She also served as Legislative Counsel in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, during which time her legislative portfolio included child welfare, civil rights, and education issues. As a civil rights attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), she worked with several campaigns and coalitions to leverage legislative and policy advocacy to advance equal educational opportunity. She also helped to advance the federal policy work of the Dignity in Schools Campaign, including securing provisions promoting positive and inclusive school climates in the Every Student Succeeds Act. She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

Speaker
Janel George, Senior Policy Advisor, Learning Policy Institute

Additional Resources:


Changing the Frame: Arts and Cultural Education as a Civil and Human Right
Video Recording
PPT Presentation
One Pager

Arts education should be a fundamental right of every learner – well, in fact, it is. This session will explore international frameworks, American public policy and two state-based examples so participants can learn how to craft policy and programmatic language to shift the paradigm in their state or community. Join organizational leaders, policy researchers and a civil rights lawyer to unpack how leaders can frame arts education as a fundamental civil and human right.

Speakers
Quanice Floyd, Executive Director, Arts Education in Maryland Schools; Jeff Poulin, Managing Director, Creative Generation; Amir Whitaker, Executive Director & Lawyer, Project KnuckleHead & ACLU


Unlocking the Next 10 Years of Arts Education
PPT Presentation

This year’s AEP annual convening is a celebration of the past 25 years of serving the arts education community. But what about the years to come? In this capstone conference experience, Institute for the Future researchers Ilana Lipsett and Sara Skvirsky will transport us ten years into the future, exploring the major shifts that will shape the future of arts education and challenging attendees to flip our current reality on its head in order to arrive at new possibilities for the next decade plus. What new innovative ideas and projects will we be celebrating at the AEP gathering in 2030? Come to this session to find out!

Speakers
Ilana Lipsett, Senior Program Manager, Equitable Futures Lab, Institute for the Future; Sara Skvirsky Research Director, Work + Learn Futures, Institute for the Future

WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL GATHERING!

AEP Director Jamie Kasper shares highlights from AEP’s work over the past year and discusses the new ways attendees can engage with their peers and the session content throughout this online event.

Title: 2280 Pasos Bajo un Cielo Nublado | Artist: Hernán Jourdan | Medium: Film

When I was asked to create a work of art exploring literacy, I wanted to create a dance but I had no dancers or a studio, so I chose to use my own body in the space I had, my yard. Fluent Nature is video of micro-choreography that explores what cannot be expressed with words, how nature has its own language, and how placing the human body in nature changes the story.

Title: What Is Me and What Is Not Me | Artist: Alex Chadwell | Medium: Music

My thinking on arts and literacy centers around the concept of literacies and artmaking as both sense-making and meaning-making processes that organically and inevitably overlap, intersect, and reciprocate. Compositionally, What is me and what is not me is a sound collage of sorts (there is no notation for the piece, and I'd be hard pressed to recreate it accurately) that abstractly and aurally represents the relationships between literacies and artmaking.

Title: A Curious Honeybee | Artist: Gideon Young | Medium: Film

Offering welcome through traditional and digital elements of literacy, A Curious Honeybee provides an experiential learning environment by activating visual, musical, natural, and emotional literacies.

Title: Tercera Llamada | Artist: Karilú Forshee | Medium: Audio

La Carpa Theatre is a project that I am currently directing in the Detroit Latinx community. The project aims to strengthen and uplift youth voices through devised theatre, in the style of the Mexican Carpas. This audio was created in the theatrical environment envisioned for our project. The ways in which literacies are re-defined are at the heart of La Carpa Theatre's mission.

Title: Literaseas | Artist: MJ Robinson | Medium: Graphite and ink on paper with digital edits

Title: A Riddle | Artist: MJ Robinson | Medium: Graphite on paper with digital edits

Title: False Binaries | Artist: MJ Robinson | Medium: Graphite on paper with digital edits